


Undead Unleashed

by WeDemBoiz (orphan_account)



Series: The End of WeDemBoiz [1]
Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Additional Warnings Apply, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Gen, Kidnapping, Metal Sonic is a spirit, Mild Gore, Psychological Horror, Sonic is trapped in another dimension, Tails needs a hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:01:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25080556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/WeDemBoiz
Summary: Sonic has been gone for weeks already. No one can seem to find him, and in his desperation Tails summons a spirit to help locate him. In order to this spirit to help them, a body was built for him to possess. Will they ever find Sonic?Alternatively, WeDemBoiz brings you the first book of three in this final series.
Series: The End of WeDemBoiz [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1816420
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	1. Awakened Spirit, Restless & Justice Seeking

“Missing Person: Sonic the Hedgehog. Any information or tips please call Mr. Miles “Tails” Prowler at xxx-xxx-xxx. You can also call the Central Mobius’s Police Department”. 

Posters were hung all around town, some flying off in the wind. There was a sense of underlying dread and uncertainty hanging over the small town. It had been weeks since Sonic had last been seen. Endless interrogations and investigations later, no traces of Sonic had been found. 

Amy and Tails never gave up however, not even when Sonic’s case was declared cold. “I’ll never keep looking! Sonic will come back! He just has to!”, Tails would always shout at those who would tell him to move on. “Sonic is still out there! I’m going to help Tails bring him back!”, Amy would also shout. 

Eventually, Tails was at the end of his ropes. Amy could tell too but wanted to also hang onto the last shreds of hope she had. Although they hated to admit it, every day they slowly lost hope of Sonic ever returning to them. “Tails... please be reasonable. It’s been weeks now since Sonic disappeared. It’s time to let go”, Knuckles said, patting the fox on the back. 

Tails swatted the echidna’s hand off his shoulder. “How dare you! I’ll never move on! I just know Sonic is going to come back to us! He just has too!”, Tails screamed at Knuckles, standing up and gripping his fists. “Get a hold of yourself Tails! We’ve tried everything to find Sonic!”, Knuckles shouted back, as Amy entered the room. 

“What’s going on here?! Both of you calm down!”, Amy shouted at them, trying to take down the argument a peg or two. “You know what?! You’re right! There’s one thing we haven’t tried!”, Tails said, as he quickly ran down to the basement. There were already newspaper pages talking about Sonic’s disappearance on the wall, and it was rather cluttered. Amy and Knuckles followed him, as the fox began rummaging through some boxes. 

“Tails! What are you doing now?!”, Amy shouted as Tails pulled out a mysterious board. Dusting it off, he quickly got candles out from another box and lit them. Placing them in a circle, he sat by the candles as Amy and Knuckles soon knew what he was going to do. “You’re going crazy Tails! How is summoning a spirit going to help us?!”, Knuckles yelled. 

“Tails, please! We just-“, Amy began. The fox quickly said loudly, “Are you there?”. Moving his hand among the board with a chip, it moved to letters on the board. “Y-E-S”, Tails said. Amy and Knuckles froze, as they noticed the air smelled of something...oddly metallic. Tails gazed down to his board, as he gulped. 

“Please! I beg you! Could you possibly help us find our friend Sonic? He’s practically my older brother and we can’t find him! The police won’t do anything either! They declared his case cold, and if I must sacrifice myself even... I will do it to save Sonic!”, Tails added, his tears nearly pouring out. 

There was a sudden gust of wind, despite the basement having no windows. “If I help you find your friend, what will you offer me in return?”, an odd voice asked. “Whatever you desire! Please! Just help us bring Sonic back to us!”, Tails shouted back, his tears pouring out. “I accept your offer then. There’s one thing I do desire more than anything and that’s a body”, the voice answered.

“Would you be able to construct a body for me to inhabit? I’m afraid your bodies aren’t to my liking to use as a suitable vessel”, the voice asked. “Yes! Give me a few hours and I will complete it!”, Tails replied, as he quickly ran across the room. Fetching his work box and a few parts, he frantically began to sketch blueprints. 

“Tails! This is crazy! Why are you going to trust some random spirit?! Sonic might already be dead!”, Knuckles shouted. Tails glared at him and threw a piece of chalk that nearly hit him in the head. “It might be foolish, but I’ll do anything to get my big brother back!”, Tails responded, turning back to his blueprints and erasing something on the page.

“Tails... please... this is just insane!”, Amy pleaded as Tails ignored her. After swinging his pencil around the paper as humanly possible, the fox seemed like a mad man at work. He kept whispering to himself, his gaze struck focused on the blueprint. Reaching for a calculator, he typed something in quickly. 

Tossing it aside just as fast, Amy and Knuckles stood there stunned. “I’ve designed planes, rockets, and translator tablets for alien languages. I believe I can build a proper body for a spirit to inhabit!”, Tails spoke, as he walked back over to the board on the floor. Placing the blueprints in the middle of the circle Tails then asked, “Does this design please you...?”. 

“I don’t remember the name I had in my previous life. The design is true to my liking. I approve of it, what will this body be made of?”, the voice replied. “Metal. It well made of the best materials I have in my workshop, and will be much more when it is completed”, Tails added, as he waited for a response. “Reasonable. For all-inclusive purposes, Metal will be my name. I will wait for this body to inhabit. Do what you must...”, Metal replied. 

“My name is Tails! Miles “Tails” Prowler! It’s nice meeting you Metal. I’ll get to work straight away!”, Tails said happily, wiping away the last of his tears. Rushing back and forth in his shop, Tails pulled out some more materials from a closet. Retrieving the blueprints, the fox boy began to build. 

“Tails...”, Amy began. “Leave him be. He’ll realize this is all crazy sooner or later. Let’s go”, Knuckles said, touching Amy’s shoulder. “Hey, spirit! You better not harm a single hair on his head!”, Amy shouted loudly. “I have no intention to. Rest assured, your friend will be unharmed”, Metal replied. 

“Well... you better!”, Amy said as she and Knuckles began to go up the stairs. Leaving the door open, they soon left the house. “You think he’ll be alright?”, Amy asked. “Tails has lost his marbles. I’m tired of trying to get him out of that deep insanity”, Knuckles replied, walking further away from the home. “I hope Tails really knows what he’s doing”, Amy responded, as they walked away. 

|~~~~~| 

“Eureka! It’s finally ready!”, Tails shouted excitedly. His eyes were droopy and red as he finally shined up the last of his project. Holding up the blueprint, he looked back to the final product. “It’s perfect! Just like I had hoped for and more!”, Tails said happily, as he looked to the clock. 

“Metal said he had to go since the day was coming, but he would return in the evening. This gives me enough time to replace the candles and eat! I really need a nap and shower too!”, Tails thought excitedly as he placed down the blueprint on his workshop desk. Walking back upstairs, the fox walked around his empty home. 

Usually, Sonic would be in the living room napping on the couch. The lifeless furniture haunted Tails still, it was where they would sit to watch movies on the TV. Or they would watch the most recent episodes of their favorite shows, and of course the weekend rerun seasons. 

Tails turned away quickly from the living room and gripped his hands. He could still remember how they would have a bunch of friends over for sleepovers and enjoy scary movies together. Afterward, they’d finish up the popcorn and snacks and order pizza. 

All the more reason to find Sonic again. 

Tails cooked up a meal, which he ate silently. Afterward, the fox took a bubble bath. Looking at the floaty suds in the tub, he could see his reflection looking back at him. “Am I really doing this all for Sonic? Or myself? What if Sonic is really-“, he murmured before he slapped himself. “Don’t be stupid Tails! He’s alive out there! You need to be strong! For Sonic!”, he shouted. 

Taking a deep breath, Tails gritted his teeth. “I need to calm down. I have to hurry up, so I have enough time to sleep”, the fox boy said quietly now. After taking a much-deserved bath, Tails stepped out of the tub. Cleaning himself up with the towel, the fox boy tossed his towel aside. He still hated how empty the home felt, the home he and Sonic shared. Walking into the bedroom, Tails gazed emptily at the ceiling. 

Turning his head to the right, he could still see the chili dog photo frame on the bed stand. In the frame, was a photo of him and Sonic posing for the camera. Both of them held peace signs and smiled. His eyes caught sight of Sonic and how happy he looked. Closing his eyes, Tails dreamt of seeing Sonic again. 

•~•~•~•~•~•

“Tails? Tails! Wake up!”. 

There was a familiar voice that called out to Tails. The fox boy slowly opened his eyes and sat upwards. Wiping his eyes, he could see he was in a giant white void of some kind. “Tails! Are you awake now?”, the voice asked. Tails soon recognized who was calling out to him. 

“Sonic?! Sonic! Is that you?!”, Tails shouted. “Yes, Tails! Tails! Tails!”, Sonic replied, shouting for the fox boy. There was something that soon happened in the void, as it started glitching out. Tails opened his eyes again to a black and red colored void. In the distance, he could see Sonic. 

Curled up in a ball, eyes were closed shut. “Sonic! Why are you here?!”, Tails yelled out, quickly getting up. His legs felt stuck in place, as he struggled to move forward. Something seemed to be pulling him under, as the black liquid consumed him. Under the dark and heavy waters, Tails struggled to breathe. 

Sonic was still there, also enveloped by the dark liquid. “Tails... help me please Tails...”, Sonic said, his voice reaching the fox boy’s ears. “Please Tails... I can’t do this anymore....”. Tails swam closer to him, as Sonic’s eyes opened. They looked hauntingly at the two-tailed fox, which made Tails freeze. Lifting his finger to his mouth the hedgehog said, 

“Shh”. 

Sonic soon opened his mouth as thorns soon emerged. Sonic’s body twisted and twitched at the sudden change, as the spikes emerged from his back as well. His eyes became a deadly red, hypnotic spiraled. Sonic cackled brokenly but loudly, as Tails’ eyes widened in horror. For a split second, he could see emerald green looking back in equal amounts of horror.

“No! Stop! Stop hurting him! Leave Sonic alone!”, Tails screamed in his mind, losing more oxygen by the minute. The hedgehog grew more thicketed, spiny vines as they emerged from all around his body. They were completely consuming Sonic, as he could see his hands trying to cover his mouth. 

Sounds of horrid, dastardly screaming took over Tails’ ears and intense sounds of crying. “STOP! OH GOD STOP IT!”, Tails screamed scared now, gripping his head. “STOP HURTING HIM!”, he cried out, tears pouring down his face. Sonic kept screaming in fear, as thorns emerged from his chest. 

“STOP IT DAMMIT!”, Tails yelled out terrified out of his mind. The fox boy heard more laughter which wasn’t coming from Sonic. He looked around, but he was losing too much oxygen to keep himself from being submerged anymore. Tails needed fresh air, and he needed to know who was hurting Sonic. 

Swimming upwards, he could feel something wrap on his leg. It was one of the thorny vines wrapped itself on his leg. Tails tried desperately to kick it off, but it’s thorns we’re digging themselves in his fur. The fox boy flailed around, trying to rid himself of the pain he was getting. 

It finally let go, as Tails made it to the surface. Breaking the water, Tails gasped. Coughing, he wiped his eyes. Looking over to where he saw Sonic before, there was a wide white platform. On top of it in the middle was a birdcage of some sort, equipped with a perch and surrounded by flowers. Sonic emerged from the waters as well, the thorns on his body were gone. Or so Tails thought as the azure hedgehog’s body began to move violently again.

He levitated unconsciously now, as thorns grew on his back. They carried him back to the platform, where they placed him down on the floor. When he was back inside the cage, the thorns immediately wrapped themselves around the cage. Almost as if they were creating an extra barrier for Sonic. It started to move further away as Tails cried out, “Where are you taking him?!”. 

He couldn’t lose Sonic, not again. 

Then there was a voice that called out to him. “Hey what are you doing here?! You are not allowed here!”, the voice cried out. “You are not part of the ceremony! GET OUT!”, the voice added. “What?! Who are you?! What’s going on?! Are you behind all of this?!”, Tails shouted back. 

“That doesn’t matter! You leave...NOW!”, it yelled back. Something was thrown at Tails, who clenched his eyes shut. When he opened them, he returned back to the white void from earlier. Nothingness, except there, was something this time. 

Tails looked over and saw the birdcage again. 

Sonic was seated on the large wooden porch, calmly rocking it back and forth. He looked over as well, to see Tails who’s eyes widened at him. “Tails! You need to find him to help me! His name now is...”, Sonic began until Tails was struck by a blunt force object. The fox gasped, as everything slowly began fading away. 

The last thing he heard before he fell away was Sonic shouting, “Hurry Tails! You don’t have much time left!”. 

~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Sonic gazed sadly from his cage, white as far as the eye could see. No matter where he looked, endless miles of empty space laid before him. Sat upon his perch, he prayed. “If you can hear me out there my love, please protect Tails. If your name is wiped from existence was for my sake, then please I beg you. Whatever name you have now, please guard my little bro”, He thought to himself.

His mysterious captor then spoke. “How did he arrive here? No matter what, you are still here. I am still making preparations for the big day, and have a lot of work to do then”. Sonic sighed and replied tauntingly with, “What is it? You really kidnapped me to marry me off to someone?”. His captor sucked in his teeth. 

“Not just anyone my dear little chaos emerald wielder. Perhaps you already knew him? He was the one who you loved after all and tragically passed away. The form without a soul, and the last piece to my puzzle”, he replied, which made Sonic’s eyes widened in fear. “Damn you! Even after all you’ve done! Tails is gonna bust me out of here, and I’m gonna take you down!”, Sonic shouted back angrily. 

“I doubt it! As long as I activate your special barrier, you’ll never escape! All who try will perish at the hands of your thorns! Though, I just need you until the end of the main ritual. I need to go prepare for that too, so... bye-bye!”, His captor replied, giving another chilling laughter before leaving.

Sonic gritted his teeth and clenched his fists angrily. “Dammit! I can’t get out of here until Tails finds him! Oh please... both of you stay safe out there...”, He thought to himself. Praying hard once more for the protection of his friends and his lover. “I can only pray now for their safety. Hurry you guys! It’ll be time soon!”, another train of thought prayed. Sonic looked out of his cage once more, tears running down his face sadly as the lonely world provided no comfort. 

“It is time for the undead to be unleashed”.


	2. Dreamland Disasters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2/5 bois!

Tails woke up with a start, as he gasped loudly. He grabbed his chest and could feel his heart racing rapidly. Looking over to the photo frame with him and Sonic in it, he looked outside the window. Night had arrived now, as Tails quickly rushed out of bed. 

Tails made a quick pit stop to the kitchen, where he grabbed all the candles, matches, and lighters he could get. He rushed downstairs to the basement, and immediately set up the candles again. Tails sat in the middle of the circle with his spirit board in hand. 

“Metal?! Are you there?!”, Tails asked, as his hand let him to the answer, ‘yes’. There was a gust of wind in the basement, as it soon stopped. “Is my body complete Tails? I have extremely urgent business to complete now, and should I fail... your Sonic will be no more”, Metal said in a serious tone.

Tails then asked, “I had a dream earlier! Sonic was being kept in a birdcage and something was forcing him to grow out these thorns from his body! The person who is probably forcing him to do this said something about a ceremony! Do you know anything about this Metal?!”. Metal froze for a moment and then replied, “It’s just as I feared”. 

“What do you mean Metal?!”, Tails asked, fearful now. “His captor is trying to use your friend for a very dangerous ceremony. Should he succeed in completing this risky ritual, he would bring back the one lost for many years”, Metal replied once more, as he then added, “All the more reason we must make haste! Is my body ready?”.

“It is complete and ready for you to inhabit Metal. I’ll bring it here”, Tails said, as he walked over to a piece of covered machinery and placed it down in the circle. “Very well then. I will begin to use this body as my vessel. We shall meet again in a moment”, Metal said, as another gust of wind went harshly in the basement. 

The candles also went out, as Tails was soon left in the dark. Moment of silence in the basement, as Tails walked carefully to the circle. Candles with a navy flame were in their place now, as the covered machine began to move. There was a groan, as the metallic body sat up. Tossing aside the cover, there was Metal’s new body. 

“May I ask what inspired you to create this specific design?”, Metal asked, flexing his hand. “Sonic was the only thing I could think of on the fly. How are you adjusting to your new body?”, Tails replied as he approached the robot. “It will take me some time to get used to this body. For now, I am comfortable. Do be careful with the candles”, Metal replied. 

“Why? Is there something special about them?”, Tails asked. “Yes. In a body, I am to roam around in the daylight. If the candles are extinguished during the day time, I will return to the spirit realm. Do not fear however as long as my navy flames burn, the wax from the candles will be enough to suit my appearance for one week. It will take some force, however, to blow out all of my candles. Do not fear about needing to not breathing normally”, Metal replied, standing up now. 

He nearly tripped when he stood up, but got used to the sensation of standing up. Making his way out of the circle, he lifted his arms towards the candles. There was a small navy bubbled around them, as the candles continued to burn. “An extra safety measure. We have much to discuss this world and we must do Tails”, Metal spoke, turning his head to the fox. 

“Yes! What is this ceremony you were talking about?”, Tails asked curiously. “I’ve found out more in the spirit realm about your friend. Sonic is truly the ultimate vessel for the seven chaos emeralds. These thorns you mentioned earlier are part of someone corrupting the emeralds to activate its dangerous protective mode. Thorns will protect its host, and if they have hurt Sonic they have not fully accepted him as a host yet. They are trying to see how far Sonic is willing to go to wield them”, Metal began. 

“This is where it gets interesting. It appears that Sonic had a lover, one who passed away. This lover, however, had no soul. What our perpetrator is trying to do is revive his lover, whose location is unknown. Utilizing the ultimate vessel of the emeralds and the special one with no soul, the greatest evil may be brought into reality. I hope your friend is still trying to fight his captor. As long as he rebels, the chaos emeralds will never be at rest. Thus, they will have not situated themselves in him”, Metal finished, gazing at Tails

“Other than that, this dangerous ceremony will take place soon. We must locate Sonic soon. Using my new body and ties to the spirit world, we may locate him. However Tails, you have to sleep”, Metal said. “Sleep? Why?”, Tails asked, confused. “If Sonic is able to communicate with you in the dream world, I will be able to intercept your dream. Sonic is trying to reach out to you in the dream realm, meaning his real-life body is being kept somewhere. Should he call out to you again in your sleep, we could be able to trace where his real body is”, Metal replied. 

“We can’t waste any more time then! Let’s head upstairs, and I’ll do my best to sleep!”, Tails said, dashing up the stairs. Metal took a few steps forward, as he slowly got used to the feeling of walking. One step at a time, the spirit walked slowly. Gripping the handle to the staircase, he slowly went up. Making his way out of the basement, he could see the home. 

There was a large mirror in the hallway, as he realized how his new body looked on him. Sleek metal shone at him, showing off a polished look. Although the body was a dull grey when it was built, inhabiting it turned it into his signature navy. Red eyes, against pitch-black, stared him down in the mirror. There was a hole in his chest of some sort, and turning around slightly revealed a spike on his back. 

Overall, it was just nice to have a body. 

Walking into the living room, he saw Tails on the couch. “Like the place? Sonic and I spent so many memories and birthdays in this living room y’ know?”, Tails said, taking a pillow into his hands. “His birthday is supposed to be in a couple of days from now. If I can’t find him by then, Sonic’s own birthday would be spent without him. If I need to sleep to find him, then by hell I will!”, Tails added.

“No, you will not be alone in your journey. I will do everything I can in my power to support you, and I will help you retrieve your friend”, Metal replied, as he leaned forward and held a photo frame. It had Tails and a smiling blue hedgehog in it, whose arm was over his shoulder. “This is Sonic right?”, Metal asked, placing it back down gently. 

“Mhm. We aren’t related by blood, but Sonic is like my older brother. He does all he can to protect me and support me. Sonic works hard for me, and I do the same for him. That’s why I was willing to even summon a spirit to help me get my older brother back”, Tails said, as he laid down on the couch. Metal glanced at the frame again, this time in curiosity. 

“Have I seen him somewhere? He looks so familiar... could he be connected to my previous life?”, Metal thought to himself. His train of thought was interrupted by Tails adjusting himself on the couch. “Alright then Metal, let’s do this thing!”, The fox boy added determinedly, as he placed a pillow beneath his head. 

Metal nodded, as he sat on the floor. Leaning against the couch, he asked the fox boy one last question. “Sonic seems like a nice boy. Could I ask him something when we retrieve his real-life body?”. “Sure! I’m sure he’ll have questions for you too! Maybe it can be like an “ask-me-anything” kinda thing!”, Tails replied. “Very well then. Shall we enter the dream world now?”, Metal Sonic said, getting comfy. 

“Yep! Night Metal!”, Tails replied as he closed his eyes. Metal too, closed his eyes as he wrapped his spirit tightly against the artificial body. Losing sense in his feet, then his legs and fingers. Slowly, Metal could feel his body entering the dream realm. Crossing between worlds when he had no physical body was an old feeling now, as the robot embraced the sense of having his body transported alongside him. 

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

When he opened his eyes again, Metal awoke in a dark void of some sort. In the deafening darkness, the robot was relieved to see his body stayed with him through the process. Emptiness, almost like he was trapped in a purgatory of some sort. Colors were non-existent, as his eyes saw a black background for miles ahead. Floating around mindlessly, there was a voice that then called for him. 

“Can you hear me, my love? I’m still here, but I’m in trouble right now. I’m no longer in the physical world, but here in between the planes of the dreamworld and spirit realm. Please protect Tails... I beg you”, a voice prayed out to him. Metal then looked around for who was saying that. 

“Hello! Are you Sonic? My name is Metal, and I was sent here to help you! Your little brother is still looking for you!”, Metal replied, as his eyes darted back and forth. “...Who is there? Tails sent you? Where is he?”, the voice added, as the room began to clear up. From the ceiling, what appeared to be a white dome cleansed out there darkness. Metal was soon in a giant white void, as there was something up ahead. 

He ran towards it, as a thorn nearly stabbed him when he got too close. Above, sitting on a perch inside the birdcage was a blue hedgehog. Metal recognized him, it was Sonic! “He looks the same as he did in the photo... he is far more beautiful in person”, Metal thought to himself as the hedgehog looked at him calmly. “Sorry about the thorns. What’s your name?”, Sonic asked the robot. 

“I can’t remember my past life name, but I go by Metal now”, the metallic being replied as Sonic nodded. “Interesting! Sounds like a pretty rad name!”, the hedgehog said happily, as he coughed. Looking to his hands, there were spikes on them. “Oh dear, I seem to be letting out more of them now”, he murmured. “You really mean it? Tails brought you here?”, Sonic added, as the thorn that shot to Metal earlier retracted. 

“Yes. Tails said that you had been gone for some time now, and he couldn’t seem to locate you. Please if you could, do you remember where or who took you?”, Metal replied as Sonic seemed puzzled. “Sorry bud, I really don’t know where my real body is. I do know who took me”, Sonic replied, as thorns began to emerge from the base of the birdcage. 

One of them lunged towards Metal, who had no time to dodge. Gripping his eyes shut, something then lifted him off the ground. It was Tails, who held the robot now. He only had time to grab his arm as the fox looked down. “You ok Metal?!”, Tails asked quickly, to which Metal nodded. “I’m fine Tails! So this is Sonic... the golden angel of chaos”, the robot replied. “What? You know what, let’s move on for a second because here comes a bunch of more thorns!”, Tails shouted, as he quickly maneuvered them out of a close call. 

Sonic tried to hold the thorns back, as his gloved hands failed to contain them any further. “I won’t let you hurt them! I won’t let you hurt Tails! Leave them both alone!”, Sonic shouted as he tried to grip the thorny vines that began to grow around him. “Are you tracing where his real body is?”, Tails asked as he flew quickly around the place. “Yes! I’m tracking him down as we speak, please do the best you can to hold the thorns off!”, Metal replied, closing his eyes shut and trying to find Sonic’s body across Mobius.

“AHH! We’re going down!”, Tails shouted as a vine threw them onto the ground. Groaning in pain, the two of them slowly stood up looking over to the birdcage. Sonic stopped moving, as his head was downwards. “Guys... please! Run! Run! Run!”, he shouted quickly as he gripped his arms. Bracing himself, Sonic screamed as he fell to the ground on his knees. 

Hunched over in pain, the azure hedgehog began to cry loudly as vines emerged from his back. Sharp, dangerous thorns pierced his skin as Sonic screamed in agony. Metal could see these thorns were different however, as the blue blur’s vines became a shade of dark gold. Coughing violently, Sonic could feel the vines squeezing his throat as they came out of his mouth. 

Spines left holes in his mouth and neck, as blood dripped like a leaky faucet on the floor. “Grragh!”, the azure hedgehog yelled out as he couldn’t form cohesive words let alone sentences anymore. The pain was overwhelming the hedgehog as he could feel his body torturing him down to the very bone. Metal and Tails watched in horror as the hedgehog became a giant deadly pin cushion. 

“He can’t take much of that anymore! What can we do to help him Metal?!”, Tails asked quickly as the robot froze. “There is only one way. We must find his captor and undo his doing on Sonic! Should he continue to refuse the emeralds possession, they will continue to force him to submit to them!”, Metal replied, as his eyes widened. Pushing Tails aside, the robot took the hit as a vine slapped him away. 

Metal was sent flying, as another grabbed him and brought him closer to the birdcage. Sonic glanced at him, eyes full of tears and fear. The robot flinched at the dangerous aura he was getting from the hedgehog, as he struggled to get loose from the vines. Its thorns were piercing his metallic arms, and threatened to cut them off should they wrap themselves around the vessel further. 

Sonic gurgled our more vines and blood as Tails tried to free Metal from the grasp of the dangerous thorns. Wrenching loudly, the tortured hedgehog spat out a perfectly encased object. Sonic gasped for air as he coughed further, eyes widened. He was like a fish out of water and didn’t know how he managed to spit that out. The round object began to roll away, and out of the birdcage. It landed by Metal’s feet as he was fearful to pick it up. 

Tails took the first move as he picked it up. Wiping away the blood carefully with his gloves, inside revealed a small envelope of some kind. It was a rather strange looking package Before Tails could open the oddly decorated envelope up, Metal was slammed away again by more vines. “Don’t open it Tails! Don’t you dare open it!”, Sonic cried out, as he tried to make the vine that was holding Metal to release him. 

The fox boy now had an even worse feeling that before about the envelope as one of the vines shot themselves to him. Taking the envelope from his hands, it slid back into the birdcage and promptly delivered it to Sonic. “Why... Why would he bring this to me? I don’t know what’s inside but I’d be damned if Tails saw it”, Sonic thought to himself. 

There was a menacing cackle heard, a booming boisterous evil laughter. Metal and Tails looked around for who it was, as Sonic quickly turned to the two. “No! No! No! He’s here...! Run! Get out of here now!”, Sonic yelled out, as the fox flinched in fear. “Run before E-“, Sonic began, only to shriek in pain as a vine slid out of his mouth. Hacking loudly as he coughed it out, the hedgehog’s tears fell when he felt the last thorn pierce his tongue. 

The envelope was taken out of the giant birdcage and delivered into darkness. With another dastardly guffaw, a hooded figure emerges from the pitch-black darkness. Holding the envelope in his hands, the hooded man opens the letter. More vines emerge from Sonic’s torn and bleeding back, as the hooded figure walks towards him. With unintelligible words, the vines seemed to calm down. 

“I see you’ve come here to try and free your little friend here. Unfortunately, we have a ceremony to attend to! He’ll be returned to you once it is over in about... three days. That is if he survives the process after all!”, the hooded man spoke, his words seething out like poison. “Release Sonic immediately! He belongs back with his little brother and his friends!”, Metal shouted as the hooded figure laughed. 

“On the contrary! When you learn of our little chaos wielder’s true past, you’ll want to think twice about him let alone be around him!”, the masked man spoke, making Tails grip his fists in anger. “Sonic is my big bro and I’ll never do anything to hurt him! I know he’d do the same for me! You’re doing something to control him after all!”, Tails shouted at the hooded captor. 

“Control him, you say? This is all on Sonic’s very accord! He agreed to have the chaos emeralds implanted in him!”, the man replied looking to Sonic. Then in only a tone he and the hedgehog could hear he said, “If you say you never did, your friends will be history! You remember I know where you live right?”. Sonic’s eyes widened as he looked down at the floor. 

“...Yes. I-I agreed to have the chaos emeralds choose me as a vessel. I will participate in the ceremony and unleash absolute perfect chaos”, Sonic said, his words shaky. “There you have it! Sonic consented to be part of my ceremony! The vines are just doing their duty of keeping intruders away until the ceremony!”, the hooded man said, gripping one of the bars of the birdcage. 

Tails looked to Sonic and then his mysterious captor. Screaming in determination, the fox ran towards the man who was keeping his prisoner. Vines reached for Tails, as he flew above them. Reaching the man, Tails shouted, “For Sonic! Plus Ultra!”. Punching the man hard, as he groaned on the ground in pain. 

Now besides the birdcage, Sonic looked at him shocked. “We are going to get you out of here Sonic! Just you wait! Your lil bro is gonna save you this time!”, Tails said happily, as Sonic smiled warmly at him. “Tails... I believe in you! I hope you and your robot buddy can save the day!”, Sonic replied enthusiastically. “Yep! Metal and I are going to do all we can to make sure you are going to be ok!”, Tails added, just happy to see Sonic again. 

“...Metal?”, Sonic asked curiously. “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you all about it when we finally bust you out of this birdcage!”, Tails replied as he gave Sonic a determined gaze. “Yeah! I’d like to hear all about it little buddy! Wait why are you becoming all static like?”, Sonic added as Tails looked to himself. Parts of the fox boy were disappearing, all random. 

“What the-?! Sonic!”, Tails shouted as he took a step back. Looking back to Sonic, he could see the hedgehog reaching out to him. “Tails! Don’t leave me already Tails!”, Sonic cried out as the fox boy reached back. Parts of his hand had vanished as Metal approached them quickly. “Something is happening to me Metal!”, Tails said as cackling was heard. 

“No one is immune to my spells! Now return to where you came from and never return here!”, the hooded man shouted as Tails and Metal closed their eyes shut. Bracing themselves, they vanished into thin air. Sonic watched, starting to lose himself to exhaustion. “Tails... Metal... please hurry”, he said quietly, his voice becoming raspy. “What a bunch of fools thinking they can ruin my plans! They won’t have enough time anyway! I must hasten the process now!”, the hooded man shouted, turning heel. 

“You certainly must still be tired from all the vines you made today. I’ll allow you to rest for now, for the emeralds can possess you when you’re dormant. You’ll need the rest, either way, we have a long way to go tomorrow! Hahaha!”, his captor added, as Sonic felt his eyes being forcefully shut. “No...”, Sonic murmured as he dropped to the ground. 

“Please... save me... M-“, Sonic thought as his last bits of consciousness disappeared. The trapped hedgehog knew that when he awoke he would be in that cage again. Nightmare after nightmare would awake him, and some were so bad that the blue blur cried when he awoke. Sonic couldn’t remember what he dreamt of, but he knew the feeling it gave him afterward. 

Terror. 

Pure, unsaturated fear. Sonic was scared to fall asleep now, for a terrible scenario waited for him on the other side. Except for this time, it became a reality for him. As his body was still somewhere else, Sonic would experience his dreams first hand. His captor made sure of that, and kept him prisoner in violent nightmares, should the azure hedgehog rebel further against him. 

His spirit was breaking, piece by piece as Sonic tried to hold back as much as he could. Now all he had to do was wait, just for a little longer. For now, he’ll have to sleep for as much as he could before another horrid dream woke him up. How much sleep had he gotten since his capture? Sonic lost count, but maybe only four hours a day? He could have gotten five if he was lucky. 

“I’ll just have to hold out on my own... What’s the hero of Mobius to some nightmares after all anyways?”. 

~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Tails and Metal awoke in the living room, as Tails quickly sat up. Making eye contact with the robot, they couldn’t seem to talk for a moment. Tails finally caught his words as he seemed to be spewing out random phrases and words all at once. “Please slow down, I can’t seem to register this all at once”, Metal said, his eyes projecting a swirly circle. “Oh yeah! My bad...! Anyways, I think we gotta get to the main question here!”, Tails said. 

“Did you trace where his body is?”, Tails asked, hoping for a good answer. “I have good news and bad news for you”, Metal replied. Gulping, Tails replied with, “Give me the bad news first”. “I was not able to trace him fully”, Metal replied. “Shoot! Please tell me that the good news is actually good!”, Tails added, slowly losing himself to fear. “However, I do have a solid lead on where we might find him”, Metal said which made Tails sigh in relief. 

“Although I was not able to trace his exact location, I do know the surrounding area we must comb through. Do you know more about this... “Stardust Speedway”?”, Metal added as Tails nodded. “Yeah! It’s the small neighborhood by the highway that bridges to other zones!”, The fox boy said, pulling up a map on his phone. 

“Is he there?”, Tails asked curiously. “Yes. Sonic is somewhere in the area, on the edge of the zone. Most likely being kept by the surrounding highway structures'', Metal added, as Tails nodded once more. “Let’s try and scope out the area for now! We can’t lose any more time, Sonic needs us!”, Tails said determinedly, as Metal nodded. “Yes, we cannot afford to lose any more time”. 

There was the sound of someone pressing on the doorbell, as its chime rang throughout the house. “I’ll get it! Coming! Coming!”, Tails said, as he hopped off the couch and ran to the front door. “Who is it?”, he asked once he arrived at the door. “It’s us Tails!”, Amy responded as Tails opened the front door. 

“Thank the emeralds you’re ok! You see Knuckles, even spirits fear my hammer!”, Amy said, elbowing the echidna. “Tch whatever! Spooky stuff isn’t to be messed with anyways!”, Knuckles responded, rolling his eyes. “Well, come on in! There’s someone I want to introduce you guys too!”, Tails said as the two walked inside. 

Closing the door behind them, Amy and Knuckles headed into the living room. “Huh?!?”, Amy said loudly as Knuckles reciprocated her shock. “Yeah... there’s a lot to explain here! We’ll explain it all, we promise”, Tails said sheepishly, as he scratched his head nervously. “You’d better! I need to know what happened to my Sonic!”, Amy replied as she crossed her arms. 

~~~ 

Z o o m 

Sounds of fire crackling were heard, as more firewood was added. Humming a small tune, he picked up a bowl of goat’s blood and placed it elsewhere. Then came the delicate part. Picking up the covered body, and carefully adjusting the towel he placed the body in the middle of the room. The body caused some creaking, but nothing too bad. For something that had just recently passed, it didn’t smell too awful. He was lucky to have taken it in such great condition, for bare-bones would not be tolerated. 

In a cage, there lay a blue hedgehog with his eyes wide opened. Where emerald green eyes used to be had been replaced by multicolored static on them, as the hedgehog looked upwards aimlessly. Streaks of blue, pink, purple, and other colors blinded him. It wouldn’t have mattered if he could see, for Sonic was being kept inside a powerful and eternal, colorful, nightmare-fueling inducing loop. Endless scenarios, every dream confining for miles at a time. His journey wouldn’t be over until he said so. Sonic would have plenty to do in his own mind, his own small world. Where his deepest fears and secrets would take form, and break his spirit piece by piece. 

Picking up a wedding dress he chose specifically for the ceremony, Ironing out the wrinkles and sowing the holes in the wedding dress, he happily placed it on display in the room. It looked lovely and would look even better on Sonic. He should be grateful to him, for taking the time to choose such a cute dress for him to wear on the big day. Glancing over to the cage, there was a smirk on his face. 

“Soon, you two will be reunited”.


	3. Fearful Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3/5! Let’s goo!!!

“Care to explain then?”. 

Amy began as she sat cross legged on the couch. “We really don’t have much time of the formalities though Amy! Won’t a quick run through suit you for now?”, Tails asked, taking a quick glance at the clock. “Nope! I want to hear every little detail!”, Amy replied, not budging on her decision. “Ok, but super quickly ok?”, Tails said, not wanting to lose more time. 

“You see, after I built Metal his body we went out to go find Sonic again. I was able to talk to him in my dreams, and we both encountered him there! He’s being held prisoner by someone, and Metal managed to track down Sonic to the Stardust Speedway Zone! If we don’t get there on time, something really bad is gonna happen to Sonic!”, Tails spoke seriously, but inside was trembling with fear. 

Metal nodded. “Sonic is someone with extraordinary powers, and as such is referred to as the “Golden Angel of Chaos”. Wielders of the all mighty Chaos Emeralds, that can be a vessel for their power. Different Angels have appeared in the past, but are very rare to come by. All of them had the power to break the barrier that binds the real world to the one of the undead. Unfortunately, his captor plans to use their power for evil and will go to extreme lengths to achieve it”, the robot added as Amy gasped. 

“So you’re saying that Sonic is gonna be used for some kind of creepy ritual?!”, She said loudly in disbelief. “Not on my watch! His captor is never gonna use my Sonic for some dumb ceremony!”, Amy added, as her anger seethed through her words. “If that was the case Tails”, she added quietly. “...I don’t believe a single word of this! There’s something else going on here!”, Knuckles said as Tails and Metal looked at him confused. 

“I think you’re little spirit buddy is lying to you! He already knows where Sonic was, that is if he was still alive! He must have been the one to take Sonic away from us, and is trying to trap you too Tails!”, Knuckles said accusingly, as Tails clenched his fists. “I saw him ok?! Sonic is still our there, and he’s alive! I swear on my own life!”, Tails shouted, as Amy stood in between them. 

“If you don’t want to help me look for Sonic, then you can just go! Me and Metal will bring Sonic home!”, Tails added, as his eyes began to tear up. “You gotta understand me Tails! Sonic isn’t-“, Knuckles began as a powerful slap hit his left cheek. In tears Tails mustered out, “I wouldn’t have gone through all the trouble summoning a spirit to find my brother if I knew he wasn’t alive. Get out of my home.... NOW!”. 

Knuckles was taken aback as Amy watched silently. Knuckles looked to the ground stunned, as Tails cried quietly. Without another word, Knuckles walked out of the home. “Tails! That wasn’t necessary! You gotta go and apologize to Knuckles!”, Amy said also somewhat angry. “Do you think Sonic is dead too Amy?”, Tails asked as he wiped away his tears. “...I think I gotta agree with Knuckles here Tails. We have no definitive proof Sonic is alive”, Amy replied sheepishly. 

“I think you need to calm down for a moment you know Tails? Take a second to think this over! Everyone was looking for Sonic, and the federal government even got involved! You heard when they declared that his case went cold and that there was no trace left of him!”, Amy added, as Tails looked at her blankly. 

“Really? Really?! REALLY?! You too?! Sonic is alive, ok! He’s going to come back to me alive! I don’t care if I even gotta rent a row boat to search to the corners of the earth for him!”, Tails shouted, as his blue eyes were no longer of sadness but anger. “If you’re not gonna help me, then just stay out of my way! I don’t care what the cops said! My big bro is out there!”. His eyes teared up, but Tails’s rage refused to let them go. 

Amy sighed sadly as she said, “You sure are just that stubborn huh Tails? I thought just like you, but sooner or later I had to face reality”. Her tear-filled eyes met Tails’s as her lip quivered. “Sonic is gone ok?! He’s gone Tails! He’s never coming back!”, she shouted, her tears running. “I don’t believe the story that creepy dude kidnapped Sonic for some ritual! It’s all so farfetched! Can’t you see Tails?! Sonic is the fastest hedgehog alive, no way he’d be captured that easily for some ceremony!”. 

“If you want to keep believing that crappy story, then I can’t stop you. I’m tired of trying to be there by your side when all you do is cry and worry about Sonic”, Amy said as Tails glared at her angrily. “You’ve been wailing about him all these weeks since he disappeared, and it’s really getting tiring to hear! You’re making everyone depressed, since everyday with all you do is whine and complain. Always going on about how the cops didn’t handle this, didn’t handle that. Maybe if Sonic did come back, you’d stop with all this stuff and leave us alone”. 

“Well excuse me for caring about my older brother! Some of us actually have things to genuinely care about besides showing off for others! No wonder Sonic didn’t want you around when all you did was stalk him and force yourself on him!”, Tails replied passive-aggressively. “Oh you wanna play that game huh?! Alright then, I’ll go along with your insanity! Maybe if you weren’t so invested in your inventions, you could have seen earlier that Sonic never made it home-“, Amy began. 

“SAY THAT AGAIN, I DARE YOU! I’LL DRAG YOU THROUGH THE GROUND BITCH!”, Tails cried out aggressively. “You can come after me all you want, but you’ll never say another word about Sonic like that!”, the fox added as Amy took a step back. “You’re sick Tails! You’re sick! Keep believing what you want, but Sonic is dead and you didn’t report his disappearance earlier and that’s that!”, Amy yelled out, as Tails’s tears poured out of his eyes. 

Turning heel, the pink hedgehog cried as she stormed out of the home. Slamming the door loudly on her way out, Tails stood there with his tears hitting the floor. Falling to his knees, he sighed as he wiped them. “Come on Metal. They clearly don’t believe us, and have no intention to help us. It looks like we’re on our own from here”, Tails said as he stood back up. Metal nodded to him, and he gave him a small hug. 

“I can understand why your heart is so full of sorrow, and I believe Sonic would not want to see you in pain. If getting him back means you’ll be happy again, I will help you. Please don’t cry”, Metal said as Tails nodded. Letting the fox boy hold him for another moment, Metal could feel the sadness from Tails lifting slowly. “You're a good dude Metal. Thanks for that”, Tails said, letting go of the robot. “No problem. We can’t find Sonic sooner if you are not in the right headspace”, The metallic hedgehog replied, giving the fox boy a quick headpat. 

“You’re right. I need to wipe my tears away, and get down to business! Sonic needs us right now, and we’re gonna bring him back!”, Tails said determinedly now, wiping away the last of tears. “Come on Metal. We’re going to Stardust Speedway!”. Shooting the robot a gaze of pure determination, Tails grabbed his flashlight and a small pocket knife. “Your new body should be able to handle a small walk right? I also took the liberty of giving you a couple of cool features when building you!”, The fox boy added, as Metal nodded. 

“Mhm. I was able to see what kind of abilities I have besides my own, and I must say I am impressed you were able to implement them all in such a short amount of time. It’s time for the final test drive, and I am excited to see some of them in action”, Metal said, looking down to his chest laser quickly. Gazing at the clock which now read 4:05 PM, Tails looked to Metal. “It’s getting late, we should get there while we can”, The fox boy said, walking to the door with Metal by his side. 

“Wait! You can’t go out like this though!”, Tails said quickly. “Why not? Is there something about my current appearance?”, Metal asked confused. “Jeez I completely forgot about that! Wait here!”, The fox boy added, slapping his forehead and rushing off. Metal was surprised at how quickly the fox boy had gone, it was only natural for him to have such haste after all. Shrugging mentally about the event to himself, the robot leaned against the wall. In front of him on a small table was another photo of Tails and Sonic. They were posing for the camera, as the fox boy pulled off a funny face and his big bro laughed. 

Walking over the small table and picking up the frame, Metal examined it further. Both of them just seemed so happy, like real brothers would. Looking at Sonic, he wondered how such a beautiful hedgehog became the golden angel of chaos. Sonic ended up being in the wrong hands, used for some mad man’s gain. There was a sense of strong will that rushed through Metal, as he remembered how Sonic was suffering under the forced unification of corrupted chaos emeralds. How vines tore his body apart in a twisted attempt to protect him, and attack the wrong people to fight. 

No, Metal would not stand for it. No one deserved to be tortured for someone else’s gain, and he would help Tails free Sonic from his captor. The fox boy was even desperate enough to summon a spirit to help him retrieve his brother, and anyone who reached that level of disparity caught his utmost attention. There was a strong will at work, and his own strong will would help them. 

Tails soon appeared, as Metal placed down the photo frame. “Here! I found something for you to wear!”, Tails said, handing the robot a stack of clothes. Putting them on, Metal gazed at himself in the mirror. Comfortable clothes certainly, and the look he loved the most. “Like them? They’re Sonic’s favorites! You look cool!”, Tails asked, as Metal nodded. “I do enjoy the materials of the garments, they are pleasant to the touch”, the robot replied, as he admired himself in the mirror. 

“Alright then, let’s head on out!”, Tails said, opening the front door. Looking around, Metal could see trees and bushes all around. There were a couple of homes in the distance, and even taller buildings behind them. “It’s not that far to Stardust Speedway. It’s over there, by the tall buildings!”, Tails said, pointing to them. “Very well. Let’s make haste!”, Metal said, as he and Tails began to walk down the street. 

Surprisingly the streets were empty, as Tails usually remembered it having kids playing ball in the nearby parks. It was rather late, so perhaps they had already gone home for the day. Metal looked around, as he couldn’t remember from his past life how the trees and sky looked like. It was all so nostalgic feeling though, as the robot faintly sensed that he saw blue skies and a specific shade of blue… somewhere. As much as he tried, Metal could not recall anything of his previous lifetime. 

Maybe it was for the better, what if he died a bad death? That wouldn’t be something worth remembering, and he cringed at the idea of it. When Metal looked over to the fox boy, he seemed to be daydreaming as he walked. Only to freeze and shake at nothing, Tails gasped as his eyes widened. Shaking his head, the fox boy seemed uneasy now. “Are you ok?”, Metal asked, concerned at the sudden change in attitude. “Y-Yeah. It was nothing, sorry if I spooked you out”, Tails replied quickly, as he chuckled nervously. 

“Alright then. I suppose I will have to take your word for it”, Metal added, still not exactly buying the fox’s words. “Look sharp Metal, we’ve reached the Stardust Speedway Zone. Let’s start looking around”, Tails said seriously, as Metal gazed upwards to the tall buildings surrounding them. Highways leading in every possible direction stood high above them as well, as they began to wander around. “Now that we are here, I need to fall asleep so that you finalize Sonic’s location right?”, Tails asked. “Yes. Rest assured I will be by your side once more when you enter your sleeping state”, Metal replied, as the fox boy nodded back at him. 

“We have to do what we have to do Metal. Let’s get my big brother back”, Tails added, as the duo wandered over to a small nearby playground. Walking over to the benches area, the fox boy laid down on the stone seating area. Metal sat next to him on the bench to the right of him. “Ready Metal?”, Tails asked, as the metallic hedgehog replied with a short ‘yes’. Metal slowly started off into his sleep mode, as Tails closed his eyes. His mind drifted off, as he still thought about one thing however. 

“Sonic… I promised I would bring you home”. 

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

B r e a t h e , T h a t ‘ s I t . . . 

Tails slowly opens his eyes, and groaned loudly. His head was hurting immensely for some reason, and the fox boy couldn’t pinpoint why. “Was it because I slept wrong?”, he thought to himself, leaning upwards. In the dark space Tails was in, he was the only color that stood out apart from the walls. Standing up and brushing himself off, he rubbed his forehead before looking around. “What is this darkness? Am I in the same room where I first ran into Sonic?”, the fox boy thought to himself, rubbing his temples once more. 

Tails’s headache was hindering his search for where he ended up, as every ten seconds he had to massage his head. It was a strange pain, repeatedly coming and going, but in a strong way. He would experience terrible pain, only to feel extremely relieved after the ten seconds were up. The cycle would continue, as Tails forced himself to keep moving forward. Biting his lip, the fox boy would bear any kind of pain. 

“I gotta focus on finding Sonic. Even if my headache is unbearable, he still needs me! I’m not gonna let some head pain slow me down! Focus Tails, Focus!!”, Tails thought to himself, determinedly trudging forward. His footsteps echoed loudly throughout the dark space, which seemingly made his headache worse. It was definitely no normal migraine that’s for sure. 

Covering his ears made him feel slightly better, as Tails felt some oddly cold liquid rushing past him. The level of this odd liquid started rising quickly, as Tails took a deep breath and swam upwards. Breaking the surface, Tails gasped for air as he wiped his eyes. He was in a familiar white room, as noticed that he was in a circular like hole. Getting out of the hole and onto dry land did he see the entry way to the room close behind him. 

In the distance, where the cage sat was seemingly no where to be found. Tails took a double take: and for sure the cage was missing. Then the ground began to shake as Tails looked everywhere for the source of the rumbling. Eyes quickly shooting back and forth, as the one responsible revealed itself. 

Sonic was being held high in the air like a puppet by his thorny vines. These vines however, seemed to be careful with holding him now as Tails gasped when he saw why. Emerging from the ground, the azure hedgehog was in a wedding dress. His wrists and legs were bound, as his eyes were covered by the thorns. They placed him down carefully, as the thorns on his legs moved to wrap around his neck. 

Sonic felt onto the ground, as he struggled to get up. He stood up, and waved his arms in front of him trying to determine where to go. “Who’s there?! Anyone?!”, Sonic shouted, stumbling because of the length of the dress. Tails approached him carefully, not willing to be hurt by the thorns. “Sonic! I’m here! I swear I’ll get you out of those somehow!”, Tails said, as Sonic turned in his direction. 

The azure hedgehog nodded, and moved in the direction of Tails’s voice. Silky elegant long gloves were getting closer to Tails, as the fox boy held Sonic’s hand. Tears filled in his eyes as he said, “Sonic...!”. Sonic smiled, and held his hand tightly. Suddenly, the thorns began to drag Sonic backwards, as the hedgehog fell. Clawing at the ground, the gloves made his attempts to slow him down fruitless. 

Even if the long gloves were slippery, Sonic did all he could with his legs. “Tails! You don’t have much time! The ritual is beginning soon!”, Sonic shouted. In the distance, a massive black hole opened in the ground. “Listen carefully Tails to what I’m going to say! ‘The two lovers will always be bound by endless thorns!’”, Sonic added, as the thorn around his neck tightened. 

Gasping for air, Sonic’s eyes were uncovered as his thorns moved to his legs. Prioritizing taking away the azure hedgehog by force, as the thorns began dragging him into a large hole in the ground. Sonic saw it coming, as he screamed loudly in fear. Dragging him inside it Tails ran to the hole, as Sonic made a desperate attempt to climb out. “NO! NO! NO!”, the azure hedgehog screamed, terrified. With another blood curdling scream, Sonic was yanked once more into the hole. Tails peered in to see Sonic being dragged into the dark liquid he was in earlier. 

Reaching for Tails, the hole began to close as the fox boy could see Sonic’s eyes stare at him in fear. Flashes of memories of the happier times with his best friend flew past Tails, as Sonic entered the dark waters. The hole closed suddenly, as Tails stood there, equally as terrified. “Oh god... SONIC!!”, Tails screamed, feeling nauseous. He dropped to his knees, and began to hyperventilate. There was soon footsteps, as Tails looked to see who it was. 

Metal ran towards him, and dropped to his knees alongside him. “Tails?! Tails?! Are you ok?! Were you hurt?!”, Metal asked frantically, looking back and forth. “It was Sonic... we don’t have much time...! The ritual! The ritual! Sonic warned me the ritual is going to begin soon!”, Tails responded rasping, his breathing still extreme. 

“Our time is nearly done here in the dream world Tails! His captor located us again, and if we don’t go now a powerful spell will be aimed at us!”, Metal said, helping Tails up. With one arm around his shoulder, they began to run. Metal murmured something quickly, and made frantic hand motions. 

“‘Now! Jump!”, Metal shouted, as a navy hole appeared in the wall. Both of them jumped in, just as a strong beam of energy shot past them. “That was close!”, Tails shouted, as they began to free fall. “We might be chased down until we wake up! Hurry Tails! Wake up!”, Metal shouted, as the tunnel began to shake. 

Tails gripped his head, as his bothersome headache returned. Soon distorted memories returned to him, including him standing over something. His gloves were stained, and there was fire around him. Tails looked down, and vomited at the sight of a charred corpse. He knew what he was looking at now, and began to cry loudly. 

More memories of Sonic and a distorted face appeared, as Tails screamed as they kept flashing by. First Sonic, then Sonic crying harshly by himself in his room. More static appeared as Tails saw a newspaper article that read, “The Mysterious Factory Fire!”. More mashed up thoughts and memories being flashed in an epileptic manner. Tails screamed loudly, as voices became mashed up in his mind. Tails was soon swallowed up by darkness whole, as his tears fell alongside him into the endless void.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

“SONIC!” 

Tails opened his eyes, and gasped. Leaning over towards the backside of the bench, wretched loudly. He spent the next couple of minutes throwing up, out of the sheer fear he faced. Metal rubbed his head when he came too, as Tails was curled up into a ball sobbing. “I don’t want to see Sonic hurt anymore... hiccup....”, Tails said softly, the world felt like it was still spinning. 

Metal sat besides him, as Tails continued to cry. “I understand if you no longer want to do this any further. I can take you back home, and I will go and retrieve Sonic for you. You need some rest Tails, and you clearly do not feel well”, Metal said gently, as Tails sat up slowly. Wiping his eyes, the fox boy sniffles as he leaned forward. 

“You’re in no condition for going further Tails. Please allow me to continue this for you”, Metal added, as Tails shook his head. “No... I need to go help Sonic. Vomiting about it isn’t going to do me any good, and this will all end until I can bring him home”, Tails replied, standing up shakily. “He told me something, maybe it might make sense to you? Sonic said, “the two lovers... will always be bound by endless thorns”, the fox boy said, turning to the clothed robot. 

“Hmm... perhaps it is a password of sorts? It may be so that we can enter the location Sonic is trapped in. We were only able to access him through the dream world because you desired to meet him, and he wished to speak with you again. Chances are his captor would have used a powerful protective spell to ensure nothing would enter during the ceremony”, Metal responded. 

“We won’t know unless we try. Have you located Sonic better?”, Tails added, as the robot nodded. “Due to us being at a closer distance to where he is, I was able to pinpoint his exact location. With the internal GPS function you gave me, I will take us there directly”, Metal responded. Tails sighed in relief as he smiled. “Some good news! What are we waiting for?!”, Tails said happily. 

“I say we are just in the nick of time. From the time we arrived here to now, it is currently sunset”, Metal responded. “Really? So we only took a few minutes in the dream world?!”, Tails asked curiously, astounded that they made it back so quickly. Metal shook his head and replied, “Unfortunately this is not the case. From the time we slept to the time we both woke up, we have returned to the same time we arrived. This is the day the ceremony begins, and is 5:30 PM”. 

Tails’s eyes widened, as he hadn’t thought to look up at the sky. Sure enough, the sun was setting. “How far are we from Sonic?!”, Tails asked quickly. “We are about 15 minutes away from his place of keeping! We must make haste!”, Metal replied, as Tails nodded. “We’re going to have to run there Metal! Is that ok with you?!”, Tails asked. The robot nodded, as he powered on his jet shoes. 

Metal stumbled in the air, as he tried to position himself upwards. He ended up flying forwards too quickly, and landed at the base of the park’s sprinklers. Water shot out, and drenched the robot. Standing up, he rubbed his head and walked back over to Tails. “I suppose traveling while hovering is easier when I was in my other form”, Metal said, as the fox boy giggled. 

“Don’t worry about it Metal. I designed you to be waterproof”, Tails said teasingly. “Allow me to attempt again!”, Metal added, as he hovered more calmly in the air. Shooting upwards, he could see the entire Stardust Speedway Zone. The shiny tall buildings had a pinkish and orange hue to them, as the sun continued to set. Zooming back and forth, the robot finally got the hang of hovering. 

He could fly freely now, just like he could while in his non-existing form. Landing back on the ground, he motioned Tails over time him. “Hop on my back! We will get there faster if I fly!”, Metal shouted as Tails nodded. Holding onto Metal Sonic, the robot zoomed quickly away into the sunset colored city. 

“Just you wait Sonic! We’re nearly there!”, Tails thought it himself determinedly.


	4. Ceremonial Chaos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4/5! One more to go!

As the sun began to set over the Stardust Speedway Zone, the stars and the moon made their appearance slowly but surely. Meanwhile, in a dark and dank place... otherworldly forces were hard at work. Under the falling rays of light, in the place where the sun never shone. It was truly the place where evil grew. If that did not scream evil, then what could be worse than that? 

“Hue hue hue”, soft humming was heard. It’s hypnotic melody continued in the dark confines of the hidden area. The disgusting stench of blood and torture reeked in the air, making anyone near it become automatically nauseated. It was more akin to pennies, and strong copper stinking stenches. The walls were strung with metallic chains, sturdy rope and duct tape. Papers were spread out on the floor in irrational ways, and spatters of blood were everywhere. 

In the corner was a small metal cage, not more longer than a few feet. Bite and claw marks were seen on its bars, along with dried mixed fluids. In the middle of it, looking directly upwards into a dim lightbulb laid an azure hedgehog. His eyes were wide open, flashing multicolored lights. In the middle of the room, laid a strangely shaped figure covered by a tattered rag. 

Footsteps echoed, as a hooded man approached the cage. “Our delightful ceremony will begin soon my angel! We can’t have you looking like that, can we?”, he spoke insanely, giggling. Dragging Sonic across the floor, he took him into a rusted bathroom. There was a tub in the room, as the hooded man rolled up his sleeves and placed Sonic inside it. 

Grabbing a few bottles of soap and conditioner, he turned on the water. Murky water came out for a second before clear water continued to run from there on. Humming the same melody he was singing earlier, the hooded man continued to scrub and clean Sonic. It took an entire bottle to wash the hedgehog’s hair properly, as dirt and grime went down the drain. 

Finally, conditioner was used to soften the hedgehog’s fur. Taking advantage of the time being used to clean Sonic, the hooded man took a few liberties to further enhance the hedgehog’s cleanliness. Clipping his overgrown nails, cutting his hair back to his usual style, and placing lotion on his skin. When he was all ready while wrapping him in a towel, another on his head was used to remove excess water from his hair. 

“It’s time to put you in your lovely dress! I just finished ironing it, and your new accessories are all ready for you!”, the hooded man said manically, placing each item carefully on the hedgehog. The final touch, a white lacy veil was placed carefully on his head. With a few sprites of perfume and a dab of makeup, the hooded man smoothed out any remaining crinkles and kinks in the dress. At last, Sonic was deemed appropriated for the ceremony. 

“Ooo hoo hoo! I didn’t do so bad if I say so myself! I finished polishing and fixing up your groom, so we can begin the ceremony! Aren’t you excited to see him again Sonic?!”, the hooded man asked. It’s not like he was expecting a response from Sonic anyways, the hedgehog’s mind was still trapped in another place. “What are we waiting for Sonic? I bet he can’t wait any longer for you!”. 

Multicolored flashing eyes gazed upwards still. It was as if the ceiling was the same as gazing into the wonderfully blue sky. Could they be dreaming of seeing the same sky again? Sonic’s mind barely gave him any time to rest, what could he do now? Maybe it could have been the rare occasion of a good dream, something to soften his soul. 

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Sonic laid on a field of flowers, as the soft starry sky was in his sight. Reaching for the moon, he felt someone was there with him. Sitting up right, he turned to see... him. Sonic instinctually flinched, as he giggled. “What’s the matter Sonic? You acted like you saw a ghost or something!”, he said jokingly. 

“Why... what are you doing here?”, Sonic asked quickly, his breathing starting to get faster. “Have you really forgotten we’ve been dating for a few months now? Is it wrong that I want to be here with my favorite hedgehog?”, the other man replied happily. “This is some twisted dream again right?! I know that you died in that fire!”, Sonic shouted. 

“Me? Died in a fire? Sonic did you have a bad dream? Do you want to talk about it?”, the other man asked, sitting upright as well. Sonic pushed him away as harsh tears of reality seeped out his emerald eyes. “I’m not stupid or delusional! I’m not falling for such a tactic again chaos emeralds!”, Sonic screamed loudly, as sudden pain struck him. 

He gripped his head and screamed loudly, as a soft breeze blew by. His tears were being drifted away through the wind, and the petals of flowers. Sonic didn’t notice when the other man hugged him tightly. “I don’t know what your talking about Sonic, but I know that you need this right now”, the other man said calmly. “There, there. I’m here for you ok? I’m not going anywhere, and whatever happens to me... I’ll always come right back for you”, the other man cooed. 

Sonic cried some more, as he mustered out a few words to say. “But... you died that day... I can’t be with you anymore...”. The other man shook his head. “Remember that day that I promised you that we were going to be together? It was you, me versus the world! We even got punished for it remember?”, The other man said gently. “...I think I know what your talking about. Wait, are you really the same person that I know?”, Sonic asked. 

“The one and only baby! You and me go a bit far back, so it’s ok if you don’t remember anything. Just know that wherever you go, I will always be there one way or another. That’s something that we both can’t escape from remember? You’ll find me, and fall in love with me all over again”, the other man said a bit more seriously.

Sonic wiped his tears away again, as he opened his eyes. “You can’t be! Is it really you?! How did you find me in this state?!”, Sonic shouted. “I don’t have much time left here Sonic. I’m here in this world right now, just in another way. I promise that I’d take care you right? Wait for me a bit longer ok baby?”, The other man said, giving him a smile. 

“Things never do change do they M-“, Sonic began until the field began to shake. Giving Sonic one last kiss, they embraced each other tightly. “It seems like it is time. They won’t allow me to see you again unless I return to that form of me. I’ll see you later ok Sonic?”, The other man said. Sonic nodded as they shared another kiss. 

Standing up, the other man gave him a smile before disappearing. As the ground beneath Sonic crumbled, he fell into the darkness that confined him once more. “I missed you so much... I can’t wait to see you again!”, Sonic said happily, as his golden tears returned to their blue hue. Emerald eyes closed to distant starry skies, as Sonic continued to free fall. 

A w a k e n S o n i c . 

Wherever Sonic was, it was definitely just another damn dream. He already knew all this wasn’t real, and something was messing with his head to keep him trapped in this nightmarish hell. The poor azure hedgehog had seen and done some bad thing in his ‘dreams’, and was forced to repeat the same harmful events further. 

It wasn’t until his brain had enough, and started the next horrible dream. His body was starting to tire itself out, but that last dream was diffrent. He couldn’t remember much of it, and figured it was for the better. It was probably way too terrifying for his tastes. Sighing heavily, he braced himself for the next horrible dream that he’d have to endure. 

What surprised Sonic is that nothing had changed. Opening his eyes slowly, he looked around. He suddenly noticed that the cage in the white void was beginning to deteriorate alongside the thorns surrounding it. The azure hedgehog looked around even more, to see the entire void around him begin to collapse. “Is it time already?! It can’t be!”, Sonic shouted in disbelief, as he was swallowed by the collapsing void. 

“Tails! Metal! Where are you guys?! Please tell me your coming soon!”, Sonic thought to himself, clinging onto any hope that remained in his heart. “Please! Hurry you two! Time is nearly up!”. Seeing the darkness begin to close on him, tears escaped from his eyes. 

Falling in the darkness, Sonic braced himself for the impending light at the end of the tunnel. 

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

“Sonic? Are you awake?”. 

Sonic sat up, to see that he was in the middle of the room. Looking around frantically, he noticed his hooded captor on the other side of the room. “You!”, Sonic growled, attempting to stand up but falling. Raising his dress, he was able to see that a vine had clung onto his ankle. It didn’t help that the hedgehog was wearing heels either. 

“I wouldn’t bother. Besides, our wonderful ceremony will begin shortly! Aren’t you happy Sonic?! Filled with joy and honor?!”, the hooded man said loudly. “I always knew you were bad news Dr. Eggman!”, Sonic shouted, as the hooded man pulled back his hood. 

“Oh but my dear Sonic, I’ve always been bad news!”, Dr. Eggman replied, lighting the last of the candles in the room. “I can’t wait for us to summon such a powerful god!”. Sonic cringed at the words Eggman said, as he knew he should have avoided him since day one. 

~Flashback~ 

“Sonic did you hear? Some new guy just moved into town! He’s a bit of a weirdo from what I heard”, Tails said, as he ate some watermelon. Sonic looked over to the fox boy curiously. “Really? Oh cool then! The more the merrier!”, Sonic replied, taking a piece of watermelon and eating it. “Mhm! It’s weird because I haven’t seen any moving trucks lately too, just his car! Ooh, you think he’s on the run or something?”, Tails added partially joking and partially curious. 

“Maybe he had something going on and could only take what he could. I’ve heard stories of people who had to run from bad situations with just what they had and never looked back. It’s understandable though, why some people have to leave ASAP not rocky”, Sonic replied, as Tails nodded. “That could probably be that too!”, the fox boy added. 

They continued to eat watermelon on their front porch when they noticed a figure walking down the street. Stopping in front of their home was a man in a red coat and black boots. He was bald, and had a long brown mustache. “Hello there! I just moved into the neighborhood lately, and I’m introducing myself to the other neighbors. My name is Dr. Ivo Robotnik, and I’m pleased to meet you”, the man said approaching the duo. 

“Well hello there! I’m Sonic and this is my best pal, Tails! Welcome to the neighborhood Mr. Robotnik!”, Sonic said, wiping his hands and standing up to shake his hand. Tails noticed the massive height difference, and how Sonic looked so small compared to the taller man. “Put her there! I’ve heard all about your heroic feats before Mr. Sonic! It’s such an honor to meet someone as yourself”, the Doctor said happily. 

“Aww shucks! It’s nothin’ really! All in a days work y’know?”, Sonic replied, laughing. “You too Mr. Tails! Everyone knows about the infamous fox and hedgehog duo! Any hero would want a dependable sidekick such as yourself!”, Mr. Robotnik added happily. “I’m glad to hear that! I’ll always do anything to help out Sonic, we’re practically brothers!”, Tails responded happily. 

Once the taller man left, the fox boy looked over to Sonic. “You felt that didn’t you?”, Tails asked calmly. Sonic looked over to him to see the fox boy appear extremely uncomfortable. “What do you mean?”, Sonic asked curiously, not understanding why Tails having a sour face like he had just suckled on a lemon. “I don’t like the vibes I’m getting about him Sonic. I think it’s best we stay away from him”, The fox boy replied. 

“You’re thinking too much again Tails! I’m sure he’s just socially awkward, probably doesn’t have much friends maybe?”, Sonic added, eating more watermelon. “Trust me Sonic. I don’t like this guy at all. Stay away from him”, Tails replied, more seriously. He stood up and walked back into the house. Leaving Sonic alone on the porch alongside the Tupperware that still had a few pieces of diced watermelon inside. 

Looking into the blue sky, Sonic sighed. Reflecting on his emerald green eyes, the puffy white clouds drifted by. They looked like cotton candy, soft and pillowy. Taking another bite of his watermelon, he felt the summer heat in the air drift by slowly as well. His eyes then gazed downwards to the plastic container as he sighed. “Oh Tails, you worry too much about me”. 

Within a few weeks, Sonic began noticing Dr. Robotnik more around the neighborhood often. Always looking in Sonic’s direction, and taking more than necessary photos of his heroic deeds. All the extra attention was starting to make Sonic skittish. One day while he and Tails were at the ice cream parlor, he stepped outside quickly to take a call. While on the phone, he heard a loud car horn beep. 

Sonic dropped his phone, as he then bent down to pick it up. He attempted to continue the call, until he realized that the call must have ended when he dropped his phone. Sighing angrily, he was going to walk back into the ice cream parlor when he heard someone call out to him. 

Looking over, he saw Robotnik motioning him over. The azure hedgehog made his way over the car, as they began to talk. “Hey there Sonic! I was wondering if you knew the correct path I could take to reach the Stardust Speedway Zone”, The man said, his eyes seeming shifty yet poised. “Sure! You just take two rights and there will be the exit to your left, and the warp zone will take you from there”, Sonic replied happily. 

“Oh thank you! Unfortunately I’m not very good with directions, could you tag along to see that I make it there safely brave hero?”, Dr. Robotnik asked. Sonic nodded. “Sure! Right now I’m hanging out with Tails, so let me tell him to hold my chili dog themed ice cream float while I go along with you”, Sonic replied, as he was turning heel. 

He felt something reach for him as he gasped. “What the-?!”, Sonic began shocked, while getting dragged into the car. His face was then covered with a odd smelling rag, as he struggled to breathe. The azure hedgehog attempted to kick, punch, claw and scream but his feeble attempts were torn down. He could feel the last bits of his consciousness slip away, as the car began to drive off. 

“Tails...”, was his final thought before he was torn away from his best friend. 

~End Flashback~ 

Sonic gripped his fists, as Dr. Eggman began to chant mysterious words. The hedgehog began to float in the air, alongside the still covered figure. With a strong tug, the rug came off. Sonic’s eyes widened as the maniacal man began to laugh loudly. Sonic’s eyes teared up, as he unleashed a bloodcurdling scream. 

“Did you hear that Metal?!”, Tails whispered quickly. “Yes I did! It must have been Sonic! We have to hurry!”, Metal replied, as they continued to walk. They were currently beneath a pillar of the Stardust Speedway Zone Highway, as a mysterious barrier stopped them. Touching it, Tails flinched as he stepped back. “Youch! That kinda hurt!”, Tails winced in pain. 

“You alright?”, Metal asked, concerned. “Yeah! I know what I have to do now!”, Tails replied. Looking back to the barrier he said, “The two lovers will always be bound by endless thorns” Right?”, the fox boy added chuckling. Surely enough, the barrier disappeared as another blood curdling scream was heard. “Hurry Metal!”, Tails said, as the two ran into the dark tunnel. 

Dim lights began to flicker quickly the closer they got. Pulling him into a hidden corner, they watched as Sonic cried frantically over something that was floating in front of him. Dr. Robotnik was laughing manically, and coughing to clear his throat. More mysterious words were said, as Tails looked over to Metal and nodded. 

Pulling out his pocketknife, Tails gripped it in his hands. Metal found a new function of his that had to do with the hole in his chest. “Ready... GO!”, Tails shouted, as they jumped out of their hiding spot. Metal shot a powerful laser beam at the circle beneath Sonic and the odd figure. He fired another beam at the cracked chaos emeralds, who were being chained down to on an odd platform. 

With that powerful beam, the chains were broken as the emeralds unleashed a powerful glow. The cracks were gone on them, as they seemed to smile upon Metal. With another burst of energy, they shot Dr. Robotnik to the wall and disappeared. Just as the tattered tarp that covered the figure, hit the ground once more. 

Metal didn’t hesitate to swoop Sonic into his arms. The dolled up hedgehog looked up to the robot, and wiped his tears away. “You must be Metal!”, Sonic said happily, relieved to see that someone came to his rescue. “I am! Lets save more talk for later, right now we gotta get you out of here Sonic!”, Metal replied, as the hedgehog nodded. “I’ll take care of this Metal! He’s all mine!”, Tails shouted as the robot nodded. 

Activating his turbine, he zoomed away. “It’s just you and me, Robuttnik!”, Tails growled, as he lunged at him. “You sure you want to do this Tails?! I was going to revive his boyfriend you know! Or should I say... the person you are responsible for murdering!”, Robotnik snickered as Tails’s eyes were filled with rage. 

“I had to do what I could for my darling golden angel of chaos you know! To revive the one with no soul, for he had no soul to begin with! His boyfriend’s true name, and the one who accompanied you all this time in another form! Metal!”, Robotnik said manically as Tails screamed angrily. Pulling the tarp of the figure on the floor to reveal what was a black ironed tuxedo to compliment the well dressed corpse. 

“I even went through all the trouble of dressing him up again! The dead aren’t that easy to wash and clean up you know!”, Dr. Eggman said, holding up the body. Tails froze, as his tears swelled up. “How did you...?”, Tails asked, his grip on his pocketknife weakening. “Isn’t it simple? While I was stalking Sonic, I noticed that he was hanging out more often with a particular guy friend of his. Turns out they were secretly dating! I saw you take Metal out with your on hands, and even burning his job site!”, the man cackled. 

“How does it feel Tails?! To have someone you killed help you bring back someone who you thought was dead?! Sad, bitter irony isn’t it?!”, Dr. Eggman added. Tails remembered the things he’d rather forget, including the static face he kept at bay for so long. Like a sticker, the memories kept hanging onto Tails. Remembering how he’d killed Metal to make sure Sonic would never be hurt by him. 

“That’s because... Metal was working in the factory where they were making bad things... Sonic had been investigating it for a while, and managed to befriend someone who worked there. He ended up falling hard for Metal, but I know that Sonic was being set up! That’s why I did it!”, Tails screamed. “So you confess to being the prime murderer who killed Sonic’s boyfriend!?”, Eggman asked loudly. 

“I had to do what I had to do... in the end... this Metal is different than the previous. With no connections to the factory, he and Sonic can start anew... and far away from you!”, Tails continued, lunging at Dr. Eggman who chuckled. He continued to laugh as Tails struck his knife in him, and smile happily. “That’s it Tails! Show me the nonexistent mercy that you gave Metal! AHAHAHA!”, Eggman laughed, as Tails shook his head frantically. 

“SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!!!”, Tails screeched, stabbing the man multiple times. “I’d never hurt Sonic you hear! I did it all for him! What’s so wrong about protecting my brother, my best friend?!”, Tails added, landing the final blow. Dr. Robotnik smiled and called weakly one more time, as Tails removed his knife. His lights were soon shut off. 

“Sonic and Metal are still waiting for me...”, Tails murmured to himself. He was sweating at this point, and cursing at himself. Wiping his forehead, he placed his blade away carefully. Glancing at Dr. Robotnik’s corpse and Metal’s corpse, he cringed. His gaze fixed onto looking to the exit way he ran quickly outside, as soon as the place began to rumble and shake. Outside, Metal still held Sonic in his arms as he called Tails over to him. “Tails! We got to get out of here! Robotnik set up one last trap for us! The whole pillar is going to collapse!”, Metal shouted. 

“We’re going home! Come on Metal, hurry!”, Tails said, spinning his two tails together. Nighttime had fallen already, as the dark aided the trio back to their home unnoticed. Slamming the door behind them and quickly closing all the curtains, they sighed in relief in the living room. Sonic hugged Tails tightly as they both began to cry. “Tails! I was so scared I’d never see you again!”, Sonic said emotionally. “Me too! I was so worried! But now that you’re home, everything is going to be fine!”, Tails said happily. 

Sonic looked over to Metal and smiled at him. “You too Metal! I’m very thankful for you helping Tails find me! Both of you, I can’t thank you guys enough”, Sonic said happily, wiping away his tears. “Also you look pretty good in my favorite fit”, Sonic added which made Metal chuckle. “I’ll be returning the garments I borrowed back to you shortly Sonic, do not fret”, Metal replied, which the azure hedgehog nodded to. 

“How can I thank you two, my heroes?”, Sonic asked. “Nothing! The best reward I can have is spending more time with my best friend... no, my brother”, Tails responded. “Could I try some watermelon?”, Metal asked curiously as Sonic laughed. “Sure Metal. You can have all the watermelon that you’d like”, Sonic replied happily. 

“Let’s get changed first, I don’t want to keep wearing this while eating my watermelon”, Sonic said, tugging at the dress. “Here, let me help you with the buttons”, Metal said, slowly undoing them. “Woah! That was pretty quick! Thanks Metal!”, Sonic said happily. “It was nothing... uhhh!! S-Sonic!”, Metal began, until his face became flustered. 

Sonic seemed confused until he looked down. The dress had slipped off to reveal dark colored tights, but the thigh area was beginning to tear. “Is that why it was also so uncomfortable to move in this?! Ugh, my thighs gotta breathe!”, Sonic added, flexing his thighs. With a loud ‘zip’ sound, Sonic had torn the tights apart. “Whew, that’s better!”, Sonic said happily, as Metal’s processor couldn’t handle it as he fell onto the couch. 

“Error! Error!”, Metal said quickly, as Tails and Sonic laughed. “All the more reason to change clothes, am I right?”, Sonic said teasingly. Standing up and walking towards the stairs, Sonic looked back to Metal and smirked. “You know, maybe a better reward for you would be to get crushed by thighs! Betcha you didn’t have that in your previous life!”, Sonic said jokingly. 

The blue blur laughed as he headed up the stairs. “I’m going to get dressed too ok Metal?”, Tails said, as Metal nodded. “I will be waiting then I suppose”, The robot replied assuringly. Tails gave him one last nod before also heading upstairs. Metal’s eyes made contact with the photo frame he saw before, and the happiness of Sonic and Tails’s strong sense of brotherhood. 

He smiled, and gazed up to the ceiling. “I suppose this is a job well done for me. Maybe now I can actually find out who I was and how I died”, Metal thought to himself. Grabbing the TV remote, he turned on the television. It tuned into a cartoon, which he decided was worth watching. He noticed how the main protagonist was trying to figure how what became of his mother, a strong authority figure. Only for it to reveal that she faked her death to become someone she’d rather be, 

Hmm, interesting enough right? This is what people like to watch right? Metal fumbled a bit more with the channels before stopping to watch a movie screening. He managed to watch most of it, when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. “That must be them!”, Metal thought to himself, looking over to see Sonic and Tails coming down stairs. 

Sonic was wearing his favorite sneakers again, and Tails was no longer covered in blood. “Come outside with us Metal, we’re heading to the porch to eat watermelon!”, Tails said, as the robot nodded. Turning off the TV, he placed the remote down and went to sit on the porch with the two. Sonic placed a speaker down and began to play some music as they talked and ate. 

“I’ve always kept diced watermelon around, because I knew you’d come back!”, Tails said happily, biting his piece of watermelon. “Is that so? You know how much I like watermelon then huh? I mean, that’s the reason why we always hang out on the porch to chill!”, Sonic replied, enthusiastically taking a small nibble of his watermelon. 

Metal ate the watermelon carefully, as he savored the squishy fruit. It tasted great, as he continued to eat more of it. It was a good taste, nothing to strong or weak in flavor. It was something nice to have really, and the saying of “things taste better with others” proved itself to be true. The robot approved of the summer fruit, as he continued to enjoy himself alongside Tails and Sonic. 

As they were eating, two familiar voices appeared. “No... it can’t be!”, and, “Oh my emeralds... he really wasn’t dead!”, were heard. Sonic shot them his iconic smirk and happy-go-lucky attitude. “Yo!”, he began happily. “Y’all missed me?”, Sonic ended with twin finger guns. Tails looked up from his watermelon bite and frowned. 

“...SONIC! You’re alive!!”, Amy and Knuckles shouted shocked and happily. They ran to the porch and embraced Sonic. “Sonic, we thought you were a goner!”, Knuckles said happily, his happy tears flowing freely. “We knew you’d come back Sonic! We just knew it!”, Amy said happily as well. Tails rolled his eyes and ate some more watermelon cubes. 

“Oh yeah, we gotta talk about the elephant in the room”, Amy said nonchalantly. “Alright then Tails, I admit you were right. Sonic wasn’t dead, and I’m sorry that I yelled at you because I thought you were losing your marbles after he disappeared”, Amy said, sighing at the end. “Uh yeah. Sonic turned out to be alive and well, even if I really thought you were crazy for thinking Sonic was still alive”, Knuckles also said. 

“Apology accepted”, Tails replied, still eating his watermelon bite. He was trying his hardest not to lash out, and hide the frown he still had. “I really can’t believe that you and Metal really did manage to bring home Sonic!”, Amy said happily, hugging the azure hedgehog tightly. “Now that your back Sonic, we can finally go on our date!”, The pink hedgehog added. 

Sonic seemed uncomfortable, and rightfully so. “Uhh, maybe not for a few days! I just got home you know?”, Sonic replied, trying to soften Amy’s grip on him. “C’mon Amy, Sonic has a point. Let the man breathe you know?”, Knuckles said, as Amy loosened her grip. “Alright, but I want an answer by next week!”, Amy said, folding her arms. Sonic shook the pink hedgehog off, as he looked to Knuckles. 

“You were really convinced I was dead huh?”, Sonic asked, with a small frown. “Yeah, you were gone for quite a while. Even after the authorities declared your case cold, I just lost all hope you were alive”, Knuckles replied. “Well, let’s all let bygones be bygones alright? I’m home, and that’s all that matters”, Sonic added, happily chewing on some more watermelon. 

“For now, let’s all hang out just like we used too”, Sonic said, as he shifted slightly on the porch. Amy and Knuckles sat down, as they had some watermelon as well. Well into the night, the stars began to glow and shine radiantly as they used to be. Metal noticed how the moon had such a beautiful appearance. 

Looking to it, he saw something. Like an odd golden beam of light. It’s strong glow seemed to be calling to him, which made it all the more odder. Metal shook off the strange feeling, and continued to eat more juicy watermelon. Sonic then tapped his iron shoulder as Metal looked to him. “Hey did you see that?”, Sonic asked curiously. 

“The odd golden light? Perhaps it is the glow of the stars”, Metal replied. “Yea! I got a bad feeling about that golden glow y’know...”, Sonic began, as something landed on the street. Sonic stood up, as his eyes widened. “It can’t be?! How could a star have landed here?!”, Sonic shouted as everyone took notice. Before anyone else could say anything the azure hedgehog screamed at them, “GET DOWN!”. 

With a brilliant golden explosion of light, the star bursted in front of them.


	5. The Fine Line Between Reality & Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 5/5! Time for Book 2’s release!

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

I t ‘ s A l l S o N i c e D o n ‘ t Y o u T h i n k?

You mean the fact that I’m in suffering every time?!

O h D a r l i n g , T h a t ‘ s w h y y o u ‘ r e h e r e !

Shut up! Shut up! You make me sick!! Leave me alone!! Stop this already!!

T h e n g i v e m e w h a t I w a n t .

What else could you possibly want from me?! I have nothing left to give!!

Y o u k n o w w h a t I t r u l y d e s i r e d e a r .

T r u e E n t e r t a i n m e n t .

.......

Is that what this is all about?! You’re using me because your bored?!

M y s w e e t v e s s e l , d o n ‘ t b e l i k e t h a t !

SHUT UP! I HATE YOU!! I HATE YOU!!!

D o n ‘ t w o r r y , I w o n ‘ t l e t y o u r o t a w a y j u s t y e t !

I wish! I refuse to do anything for you anymore!

I ‘ l l b e t h e r e s h o r t l y a n y w a y s f o r o t h e r r e a s o n s . . .

Wait... what? You don’t mean...!

D i d n ‘ t I t e l l y o u ?

I n e e d s o m e t h i n g t o s a t i a t e m y b o r e d o m !

Y o u ‘ r e t r u l y t h e a n s w e r t o t h a t , m y d a r l i n g S o n i c !

WAIT! WAIT! NOOOOOOOO!!!

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

“Ugh... my head...”

Tails groaned as he rubbed the side of his head. His eyes met with the Tupperware, as the plastic container has been tipped over. Small pieces of diced watermelon were everywhere, as Tails slowly made an effort to stand up. Amy, Knuckles, Metal and Sonic were still sprawled out on the porch. What caught Tails’s attention the most was the massive crater in the middle of the street.

“So it wasn’t a dream! That means... a star really dropped out of the sky! Why?!”, Tails thought to himself. Everyone else around him began to stand up, as Sonic stood up quickly. “Are you guys alright?!”, the azure hedgehog asked, very concerned. “Yea, just a small bump! I’ll live...”, Knuckles replied, standing up as well. “Ooh my head!”, Amy added, as Sonic helped her stand up.

Knuckles groaned, as his head felt like it was going to explode from the pain. It couldn’t have been from when they were temporarily knocked out, it was a world-crushing level of excruciating pain. “I think I need an Advil...”, he murmured as Amy nodded. “My body hurts all over too”, she said, as Tails nodded as well. “What the hell even happened?!”, Tails said loudly, turning to Metal.

“It appears that a star had crashed onto the street”, Metal said, scanning the crater. “How did this happen though?! I can’t believe it!”, Tails said in disbelief. “I thought we were all gonna die really!”, Amy said, as her eyes widened at the crater. “How did you know that something was up with the star Sonic?”, Knuckles asked, turning to the azure hedgehog.

“Huh? Sonic? You alright?”, Knuckles asked, as the hedgehog looked dead ahead. Slowly without shifting his gaze, Sonic walked slowly to the crater. “Sonic?! What are you doing?!”, Amy shouted, as her voice fell onto deaf ears. Turning to the rest on the porch, Sonic raised his arms and fell into the crater. Metal ran after him, as he peered into the crater.

Before he could get much of a look, there was a giant burst of light. Covering his eyes with his arms, the beam soon dissipated into the sky. Metal looked into the crater once the ray of light had vanished, and saw that Sonic was not in the crater. “Sonic...?”, Amy asked slowly, as Metal looked up.

In front of the moon, Sonic was hovering in mid-air. “What the-?!”, Sonic began, as the streetlights began to flicker. Hovering gently towards the ground, Metal caught him in his arms. “How did I-?!”, Sonic stuttered, amazed at what just happened. “You wandered into the crater, and another beam of energy emerged. Are you alright?”, Metal asked. Sonic nodded and replied with, “I’m fine Metal. I’m still in one piece right?”.

Metal shook his head. “Can you answer this last question for me Sonic?”, the robot asked carefully. Sonic looked at him confused, as he nodded in agreement. “Sonic, do you know what you are?”, Metal asked slowly, his voice shaking. The azure hedgehog didn’t respond, and simply looked down with an expressionless gaze. Sonic then looked to him, as he smiled softly.

Metal flinched at the sudden change in mood. Taking a small step back, Sonic approached him slowly. He stopped a few feet in front of the scared robot. “Hey Metal, I got a question for you. Do you know the truth of what really happened all those years ago?”, Sonic asked, the same soft smile on his face. Those words made Metal freeze, as Amy, Tails and Knuckles were extremely shocked at what occurred next.

“Hey! You’re joking right?! Please tell me you’re joking!”, Metal chuckled nervously, his body shaking. Sonic closed his eyes, and sighed. “I thought you know me better than that, my darling metallic knight”, The azure hedgehog replied, opening his eyes. “...No, it can’t be... oh god not now!!”, Metal shouted, dropping to his knees. The robot’s metallic palms gripped the cold concrete pavement, as a heart wrenching scream ripped out from his vocal chords.

“How can it be?! It’s too soon!”, Metal screamed, as Sonic sat down on the ground. His knees were folded as he hugged the robot. “He’s here...”, Sonic murmured to Metal, as the robot began to sob harshly. “I don’t want to leave you, not when we just reunited!”, Metal stammered out, as Sonic sobbed as well. “I’m sorry we couldn’t be together sooner Metal. Please forgive me”, The blue blur said sadly.

“No, no. Don’t feel responsible Sonic! We both don’t have control over the situation. I... I really did miss you!”, Metal added, sobbing into the hedgehog’s arms. Sonic kissed his forehead, as he chuckled softly. “What’s wrong? You’re usually never this broken-hearted”, the azure hedgehog sighed. Metal looked up to Sonic, as their eyes met with one another.

“Time is nearly up Metal. Our time will begin anew again, but we won’t be the same this time. Pinky promise me that you’ll still love me the same?”, Sonic said dolefully, his once emerald green eyes radiating sadness. Metal nodded, and raised his pinky which met with Sonic’s. “I promised you since day one didn’t I? Of course I still do”, Metal replied, as Sonic giggled softly.

“I suppose this is goodbye for now”, Sonic said, standing up. Looking up to the sky, a beam of light struck the hedgehog. He tilted his head back and smiled, as the light enveloped him. With a golden ray of light in his chest, Sonic raised his arms. Metal sighed, as he heard footsteps behind him. “Sonic?! SONIC! What happened to Sonic?!”, Tails shouted, as tears brimmed in his eyes.

Metal stood up and looked straight at him. “It isn’t good is it?”, Amy asked gently, as the robot nodded. “I’m afraid there’s nothing else we can do now. You three can’t know too much, or the process will be hastened even more”, Metal said, as Knuckles clenched his fists. “...You’re talking about how both you and Sonic aren’t really who you guys say you are?”, The echidna murmured as Metal looked quickly to him.

“That voice...”, Metal thought to himself, his eyes widening. Knuckles’s eyes were filled with rage as they became multicolored. “Do it now Sonic!”, the possessed echidna said as the azure hedgehog nodded. Metal punched Knuckles, as he screamed loudly doing so. “I’m not doing this again you heard?!”, Metal yelled, his hands wrapped around Knuckle’s neck.

“...Foolish copy, you both never stood a chance! Sonic is the embodiment of a true angel, the true angel of chaos!”, ‘Knuckles’ said, as Metal growled. “Unfortunately since both requirements have been met, do you need a mirror to see your new look?”, ‘Knuckles’ added as Metal gasped. “Look now, and see my power with your own eyes!”. Metal turned his head around, as Sonic’s expressionless eyes met with his.

Metal watched it all unfold before his very eyes, how powerful the golden angel of chaos truly was. There was a blade in his hands as Metal gasped. Sonic didn’t say anything, as he stabbed himself. Amy, Tails and Metal screamed loudly, as the hedgehog continued to bleed. For a brief moment, Metal saw the same soft look he saw all those years ago.

How did it all occur again? Why such an repetitive merciless act? Closing his different colored eyes, the whole world went rightfully white. Metal knew what would happen next, as he braced himself for the next chapter of the story. The last words he heard from two glowing lights in the sky, were the same ones he’s heard over and over again.

In another case, story, text, word-for-word beginnings to ends. It was all starting to blur together, endless meaning of different ideas, scenes, and scripts. How many times has it been already? Losing count was to be expected, there were too many things that happened those times to remember properly.

This was just another normal day.

“I’m afraid we’ll have to start all the way from the beginning”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s almost funny isn’t it? How far you’ve come, only for it to be all destroyed before you? 
> 
> I see. You’re still not satisfied are you? 
> 
> It’s fine. 
> 
> I’ve got something else prepared for you anyways.


End file.
